President William Ruto has pledged to launch a nationwide school meals programme across all 47 counties starting in the first term of the 2027 school calendar. The proposed rollout targets learners across lower primary, upper primary, and junior secondary schools to enhance social safety nets and cushion vulnerable households. Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua delivered the President’s statement on Tuesday during the Fourth Kenya Social Protection Conference at the Kenya School of Government in Kabete. “Fragmented approaches to school feeding have also constrained our capacity to deliver impact and scale and sustainable sustainability required by national aspirations,” the speech stated. “Therefore, I commit my government to the progressive establishment of a national schools needs programme.” Implementation Framework and Scaling Goals While the announcement did not clarify whether every individual institution within the 47 counties will participate initially, the president directed the Ministry of Education to partner with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the National Treasury, and relevant stakeholders. The joint task force must develop policy, financing, governance, and operational frameworks prior to the early 2027 launch. The timeline follows recent remarks by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale in New York, where he highlighted Kenya...
This page contains an attributed headline and the preview text supplied through the publisher’s RSS feed. Copyright in the original reporting belongs to Nairobi Wire.
